One Step Forward
by ohmytheon
Summary: Rebecca has always loved the bright optimistic nature of Jean's daemon, but it becomes especially poignant during Jean's rehabilitation. (Havolina, Daemon AU)


**Author's Notes:** I love writing these two and their daemons. Someone should stop me, so I can actually focus on finishing the Promised Day daemon AU fic that I'm in the middle of, but I probably wouldn't listen. I needed to write some fluff after all those depressing prompts.

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing except for my ridiculous ideas of this AU.

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 **One Step Forward**

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Rebecca couldn't stop the burst of fondness from blossoming in her chest even if she tried the moment she saw Hiroko bounding around in circles around Jean. The German Shepherd daemon was just as excitable as she used to be. The two of them would've been lying if they had said that Jean's injury hadn't wounded Hiroko in some way. She'd become more subdued once Jean's ability to walk had been taken away from him, her behavior unfortunately affected by the mood of the situation.

Now though, Hiroko was jumping and yipping excitedly like some sort of puppy. Rebecca imagined that it was the same way she'd acted back when Jean was a child – an eclectic bubble of energy and joy. She had always loved that about Jean's daemon. Hiroko never hid how happy she was. She never really hid her feelings at all unless they were in the field or on a mission. She'd give that grin that all dog daemons seemed capable of and would raise her eyebrows whenever she was curious; she'd hang her head and look away when she was ashamed and give the biggest chocolate puppy dog eyes imagined when she was sad.

"I haven't even done anything yet," Jean was telling her in a rather exasperated tone, his head swiveling around as he tried to keep up with his daemon.

Hiroko didn't seem to care about Jean's frustration, barking out a simple, "Don't care!" That was a little strange. Normally the two of them were on the same exact page. The injury had caused a little separation between them. It had been hard for Hiroko to deal with being able to walk when her human couldn't. There had been a few days when she had struggled with it herself, like she might have hip dysplasia that some German Shepherds got in their old age, despite still being young.

"I've been struggling this entire time," Jean reasoned, his focus still on his daemon. He hadn't noticed Rebecca or Orion standing in the doorway yet and Hiroko was too excited to notice anything. God, Rebecca loved Hiroko for that. She was such a burst of light in the dark. "Can't take more than a step…"

Finally, Hiroko came to a stop, planting herself right in front of Jean. "Today is different," she proclaimed, her voice as bright as her face. Hiroko was one of the most expressive daemons that Rebecca had ever seen. She supposed it came with being a canine. Orion was very skilled at keeping his emotions to himself when Rebecca failed to do so. Riza's wolf daemon Wojciech was even better. Wolves were supposed to be expressive, but after all these years, even Orion had trouble deciphering him. "I can feel it!"

Jean grumbled under his breath, but he gripped the wooden bars on either side of him nonetheless. Despite Hiroko's excited behavior, her tail wagged very deliberately and a patient look crossed her. Rebecca wished she could have been there to see her reaction when they'd been told that Mustang had asked the Philosopher's Stone be used to heal Jean. She herself had cried and Orion had leaped into her arms, purring and nuzzling against her.

With bated breath, Rebecca watched as Havoc pulled himself out of his wheelchair using his arms, his feet slowly gaining purchase underneath him. Through her bond, she could feel her wildcat daemon bristling with excitement and also wariness. He was ready to leap at a second's notice if Jean were to stumble, despite the fact that he was tiny compared to the man and his daemon and there was nothing he could do to help. Hiroko didn't move as Jean took one step towards her, suddenly so gentle and patient with her human.

Jean gritted his teeth. "I don't think I can…"

"You can!" Hiroko insisted. "I believe in you. I can feel the strength in you. All's you need to do is believe in yourself."

But Jean shook his head as his arms began to shake and his entire body began to sway. "I can't–"

Orion stepped forward, unable to stop himself. "Yes, you can."

His voice managed to startle both Jean and Rebecca. It was so unlike Orion to jump in out of nowhere and allow himself to be so open with his thoughts and hopes. She blinked at Orion in surprise while Jean stilled himself, looking at the wildcat with wide eyes. Only Hiroko didn't look shocked, slyly quirking an eyebrow up at Orion, which he decidedly ignored.

A small, somewhat shy smile crossed Rebecca's face, but it was filled with all the warmth that she felt in her chest. "We believe in you too." Jean watched every step she took as she walked into the room and positioned herself at the other end of the bars. It was only a few steps to get to her, but she saw in his bright eyes that it felt like miles. "Just take one step at a time."

Jean took a deep breath and then he took one small step. She never looked away from him as he slowly moved towards her and he never tore his eyes from her either. Hiroko quietly moved out of the way, nudging into Orion as she did so. Rebecca felt a surge of warmth in Orion as he flicked his tail against Hiroko's firm body. And she smiled. Jean struggled and he swore under his breath. His body trembled with the effort. But he didn't stop making his way towards her, taking one step and then another.

By the time he reached her, he surely must have seen the film of tears in her eyes and she let out something close to a hysterical laugh. Doing the best he could to stand up and hold himself with one hand, Jean reached out to brush a tear from her cheek. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm just…" Rebecca sniffed and wiped away another tear before taking hold of Jean's free hand. She moved it so that it was on the bar, just in case he needed to grab it again to steady himself. "I'm just so damn happy."

"You cry when you're angry, cry when you're happy, most certainly cry when you're hungry." Jean grinned at her. Orion harrumphed in his spot. For as distant and closed off as he could be, she was the absolute opposite. She wore her heart on her sleeve at all times and it rubbed off on him at the worst of times. At the moment, she could feel him swelling with a strange urge, the desire to brush up against Jean, like he could hold the tall man up. That wasn't a feeling in Orion to be taken lightly. "Just what am I supposed to do with you?"

"Kiss her!" Hiroko prompted. Straightforward and honest as ever, the German Shepherd daemon was. She nudged Orion and gave him a wink.

"You deserve a kiss after that incredible miracle I just witnessed," Rebecca told him. She leaned forward to give him a light kiss on the lips, but then Jean surprised her by pulling her flush against him to kiss her deeply. She let out a pleasant squeak before wrapping her arms around him in return. Somewhere, she could hear Hiroko's cheers and Orion's laughter. Neither of them seemed to notice the fact that Jean was standing up on his own without the help of the wood bars or anything as they kissed.


End file.
